Immortal Refiner

Li Qing’s face darkened. ”This is my cave abode,” he said. ”If anyone should leave, it should be you, Fellow Daoist.”

”Hehehe,” Fuya chuckled. ”I came here tonight to discuss dual cultivation methods with you. Don’t be so heartless and chase me away.”

Though Fuya’s voice was sweet and coquettish, Li Qing could sense her body was stiff with tension, equally wary of the unknown presence.

The two fell silent, the cave abode settling into an eerie stillness.

After a long while, the sound of shattering stone suddenly echoed from outside the pitch-black cave.

Hearing this, Li Qing and Fuya exchanged a glance in the darkness before simultaneously rushing out.

Both moved with astonishing speed, reaching the cave entrance in an instant.

Under the moonlight, they finally saw the mysterious entity that had infiltrated their cave abode.

It was a small calf!

No, even smaller than a newborn calf—barely the size of a piglet. Its entire body was azure, and it was now fleeing in terror.

Fuya raised a delicate eyebrow and immediately gave chase.

”Daring to disturb this elder sister? I’ll see what’s so special about this little calf that it could evade our divine sense!”

Fuya flew through the air with remarkable speed, quickly capturing the small cyan calf in her arms.

”Moo! Moo!”

The cyan calf struggled in Fuya’s embrace, its innocent eyes wide with panic. It kicked its tiny hooves frantically but couldn’t break free from her grasp.

”Hmm, I still can’t sense anything with my divine sense. Is this some innate concealment ability? How peculiar!” Fuya mused, unable to discern how the calf had evaded their divine sense probes. She decided to bring it to Li Qing. ”Little Brother Li,” she said, ”I know you’re an artifact refiner. Can you examine this calf and see if it has any special properties or a treasure that grants concealment?”

”If we could get our hands on it, it would be a tremendous advantage when we enter the Heavenlight Secret Realm.”

Li Qing was intrigued but felt uneasy. This was wild bull Ridge, after all. Capturing such a bizarre calf here seemed like it would inevitably invite significant karma.

”This might not be a good idea...”

Before Li Qing could finish speaking, a thunderous voice erupted from the distance, filled with fury.

”Stop! How dare you desecrate our clan’s Divine Bull!”

The thunderous voice startled Fuya into loosening her grip. Seizing the opportunity, the cyan calf leaped from her arms and landed on Li Qing’s shoulder.

Only when the small blue calf reached Li Qing’s side did it finally calm down. It rubbed against Li Qing, nudging him left and right, and eventually began licking his face with its tongue.

The newcomer was a white-furred bull-headed man, carrying a massive axe on his back.

Seeing this, Li Qing couldn’t help but wonder if all the Bull-Headed Men of wild bull Ridge used axes as their magic treasures.

The White bull-headed man’s jaw nearly dropped when he saw the calf’s affectionate behavior toward Li Qing.

”How is this possible? Why would the sacred beast be so affectionate with a human?”

It was only then that Li Qing realized the mischievous calf had already licked half his face, leaving it drenched in saliva.

”Perhaps it’s because I have a kind face?” Li Qing suggested.

The White bull-headed man’s strength far surpassed that of City Lord Lingxu, likely placing him deep within the void refinement realm.

He studied Li Qing with a complex expression before speaking. ”Fellow Daoist of the human race, come with me.”

Thus, guided by the White bull-headed man, Li Qing entered the inner regions of wild bull Ridge.

The terrain here was treacherous, but for the powerful Barbarian Bull Clan, it was as flat as a plain.

Along the way, one after another, formidable members of the Barbarian Bull Clan stared in astonishment, their eyes wide as they mooed in disbelief.

”Moo! How is this possible? Why is the Divine Bull Lord so close to a human?”

”Even with the most revered clan elders, the Divine Bull Lord would never show such affection!”

”Impossible! Could our future clan leader of wild bull Ridge be entrusted to a human?”

”Moo!”

Hearing these astonished murmurs, Li Qing finally realized that the small blue calf held an extraordinary position within wild bull Ridge, and its affectionate behavior toward him was highly unusual.

Led by a White Bull Clan member, Li Qing followed a winding path deep into wild bull Ridge, eventually arriving at a sunken valley that seemed like a forbidden land.

Even before entering the valley, Li Qing heard a heavy, rhythmic breathing. Each exhale subtly disrupted his heartbeat.

At the far end of the valley, a gaunt old man in a blue robe sat cross-legged before a sacrificial altar. He looked almost human, save for the pair of bull horns protruding from his head.

The old man, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, his gaze flashing with a sharp, piercing light that seemed to bore through Li Qing’s very soul.

The sudden oppressive aura nearly made Li Qing stumble.

This is definitely an old monster in the Body Integration Realm! His power even surpasses that of the Golden Roc Ancestor who wreaked havoc in Profound Ancient City!

”Hmm, young human friend,” the gaunt old man said, his voice deep and resonant. ”Do you know why our Divine Bull Lord has grown so fond of you?”

Li Qing’s heart tightened. He genuinely had no idea why this was happening.

”Senior, I’m afraid I don’t know either,” he replied. ”I was simply cultivating in my cave abode when I heard strange noises outside. Another fellow daoist and I went to investigate.”

”And then this happened. I truly don’t understand why the Divine Bull Lord is acting this way.”

Seeing Li Qing’s wry smile and sensing the sincerity in his words, the elder nodded thoughtfully. He then turned his gentle gaze toward the small blue calf nestled against Li Qing.

”Divine Bull Lord, would you be willing to tell me what makes this human so special?”

”Moo~!”

The blue calf remained aloof, merely glancing sideways at the elder before shaking its hooves against Li Qing and settling comfortably into his arms to rest.

This scene left the elder momentarily stunned. He could only shake his head awkwardly.

”Young friend,” he said, ”would you consider joining wild bull Ridge? Becoming the first guest elder from an outside race in our history?”

This proposal caught Li Qing completely off guard. He suddenly recalled the earlier conversation he had overheard among the Barbarian Bull Clan members as he entered.

Could they really be considering me as their clan leader? Isn’t this a bit too hasty?!

”This...”